Abdulrahman Mohammed and Samuel Anyanwu have emerged as substantive National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in a leadership outcome backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Mohammed and Anyanwu emerged by consensus, alongside 19 other members of the new National Working Committee, at the party’s 2026 national convention held at the velodrome of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja on Sunday.

Among prominent party figures present at the convention were former Jigawa State governor Sule Lamido, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, and former Kaduna State governor Ahmed Makarfi, among others.

Wike, identified at the event as the national leader of the party, said the healing process within the PDP had begun. He assured members that the party would be on the ballot for the 2027 general elections.

“So many people have spoken here. Saraki has said, with Abba Moro, and they were asking, ‘Is the PDP going to contest the 2027 election at all?’

“I have told Senator Saraki that, by the grace of God, the PDP will be on the ballot in 2027. We have seen the real convention, the convention that is being monitored by the electoral umpire. That is the convention that is recognised,” he said, to cheers from delegates.

He said the future of the party must be built on inclusiveness, with equal opportunity for members, and commended delegates for their conduct.

The former Rivers State governor also declared that the party would recover its mandate from those who took it.

“I congratulate all of you who stood firm when the storm raged. You showed exemplary resilience when push came to shove. You refused to be downcast when those who pretended to be leaders of the party betrayed you disgracefully.

“You survived the taunts of the naysayers. Together, we are standing on the positive side of purpose and committed to the task of making Nigeria a truly prosperous country,” the minister added.

Mohammed said the party would belong to all members under his leadership. Earlier, he urged members to embrace inclusiveness as the party repositions itself for the 2027 general elections.

“Today, we choose a higher path. We choose inclusiveness over exclusion, unity over division; we choose renewal over decline,” Mohammed said at the convention.

“The PDP has not come here to mourn itself; the PDP has come here to renew itself. This convention is therefore not just about the election; this convention is about restoration and order, not just about position.

“Distinguished delegates, this is not an ordinary day. Today is a moment of reflection, a moment of responsibility, and, above all, a moment of renewal. We gather here after a difficult session — a session of disagreement and legal contestation that tested the strength and soul of this party,” he added.

The Chairman of the convention planning committee and former Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, who pegged the number of delegates at 2,035, said the party’s door for reconciliation would remain open after the convention.

In the build-up to the convention, the PDP had been embroiled in a crisis over its leadership structure. While the Tanimu Turaki faction, backed by Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, claimed leadership on one side, the group backed by Wike controlled the other.

The convention held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, in November 2025 snowballed into a series of legal battles.

However, on March 9, the Court of Appeal in Abuja affirmed the judgment of a Federal High Court restraining the PDP from conducting the Ibadan convention.

Delivering judgment on March 23, a three-member panel of the appellate court dismissed an appeal filed by the PDP challenging the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court in Abuja to entertain the suit.

Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, who delivered the judgment, held that the PDP violated constitutional provisions guiding the conduct of its convention. The Turaki group has since approached the Supreme Court to challenge the ruling.